Government agrees to extend visa exemption for Western Europe citizens

SGGPSunday, May 06, 2018 18:00

The Government has given a nod to continue to extend visa exemption policy for citizens from the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Spain for more three years, starting from July 1, 2018.

Foreign tourists visit HCMC. (Photo: Sggp)

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), more than 5.54 million foreign tourists travelled to Vietnam in the first four months of this year, a 29.5 percent year-on-year increase.

In 2015, 720,000 Western Europe tourists came to Vietnam while last year saw 1.5 million visitors thanks to open visa policy and tourism promotional programs, said Minister-Chairman of the Government Officie Mai Tien Dung.

The HCM City Tourism Association has earlier sent a proposal on extending visa exemption for Western Europe tourists to the Government. According to proposal, the removal of visa requirements for citizens from the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Spain will have a valid period extended to June 30, 2023, as the current policy is due to expire on June 30 this year.

The association also noted that countries of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, Austria, Netherlands and Belgium are also expected to receive visa-free access to Vietnam.

Another suggestion for duration of stay of 30 days, longer than the current duration of stay of 15 days, and further widening of countries that receive an free visa entry to Vietnam is re-considered.